The Mortal Man
by redhead15
Summary: This is another epic poem that is the sequel to the Fair Elf Maiden.


The Mortal Man

My heart was low like the setting sun over the horizon  
As the moments passed, I was leaving him  
I was leaving the man I loved  
But, I chose to bear my love to be with my kin  
To bear my love from the mortal man

The legend of Luthien came to mind  
It is the most tragic romance the eldar know  
She fell into grief when Beren died and faded from this world  
A choice to live as a mortal to be with Beren, she was given  
She choose it for her lover another mortal man

The tale of Idril also slipped into my thoughts  
Her fate was more joyous than of Luthien  
Long they fought during the sacking of Gondolin  
They escaped and lived through till he died  
She escaped with her wedded mortal man

Lastly, the story of Arwen and Aragorn I remembered  
Arwen claimed ancestry from Luthien and of Idril  
Her tale is no less different than her ancestresses  
For she gave her heart to Aragorn, a Dúnedain  
Mighty was her love for the royal mortal man

Tragic would all these tales end  
Luthien died for her love to Beren  
Idril suffered the loss of her home for Tour  
Arwen shall die and suffer separation from her kin for her love for Aragorn  
Woe these elleths suffer to love the short-lived mortal men

Know well of these stories I do  
Yet, my heart is always stirred towards the edain  
My first love was an edain  
Then long separated from him I was  
Dead now the dying mortal man

A second time I gave my heart to another mortal  
In all ways different he was from the other  
He was braver and more courageous than my first love  
Long fought I tried not to give him my heart  
In the end, I gave my heart to the brave mortal man

My heart wars against itself  
My heart I gave to a mortal  
My heart belongs to the immortality of the eldar  
My heart is torn in every direction  
Torn between the enduring eldar and the ceasing mortal men

Over the course of weeks, the ship sailed to the Undying Lands  
Valinor my kin call the splendor of the land  
There death, war, ruin are unknown to the inhabitants  
All elves yearn for the splendor when it is time for them to depart  
Yet the splendor may be nothing to my heart of the mighty mortal man

Remember I do when our stories started to intertwine  
Too much love I had given to my first love  
Went to break off our love I tried  
Twas then, I was captured by a group of people  
Imprisoned to end my love to a laboring mortal man

Secluded they kept me from any other living thing  
Long they studied me till they lost interest in me  
Seasons flew by, and new face I saw reminded every day the short span of the man  
After decades, they brought in a young boy  
One day, he would become my beloved mortal man

Recently, every week I saw him  
Twas easier to guard my heart for a boy he was  
He would ask me so many questions  
Prudent I was in my answers to him  
In my answers to the inquisitive mortal boy

Long I would sit with the other children they imprisoned  
They would hear as I said the tales of my people  
Never did they bore of these tales  
The boy would pay the most attention  
Paid attention the listening mortal child did

From me, they learned the tales of the Eru Iluvatar from before the beginning of days  
They learned the tales of the Valar from the elder days  
They learned of the bliss of Valinor where the Valar reside  
I made known to them the toils of the eldar and the edain  
I told the tales of my people to the innocent mortal children

I would be allowed to walk around the building of my captivity once a day  
As I ventured where I would, I would see the young children act out the stories I would tell them  
In delight, I would watch them, and sometimes I would join them  
I would be Luthien and my future lover would be Beren  
I would play the lover of the prophetic mortal man

Seasons flew like the mighty eagles of Manwë  
The children grew into men and women  
Every day I was reminded of the frailty of mortals  
The eldar grow slower than the edain  
I grew slower than the growing mortal adolescents

My future beloved still gave ear to my tales  
The others had outgrown this childish nonsense by then  
Yet he still listened to me  
I felt that he started looking at me differently at this time  
I was looked upon differently by the entranced mortal man

A day came when our captors took away his memories of his past  
I spoke with him before he forgot me by command of my jailers  
There he asked me to retell the lay of Luthien to him one last time  
I did as he requested as he remembered this tale from his younger years  
I told it to the amnesia-ridden mortal man

For years, I watched him move about not remembering anything save his name  
My heart could not watch him not recall me as he moved through life day to day  
Here I realized that I was becoming ensnared by him  
I knew I had to leave this place or I start over again  
I had to leave the ensnaring mortal man

After a year I saw him face to face again  
Without his memories, he still looked upon me with awe  
I taught him what he would learn from me  
I taught him the language of my people  
I taught the pupil mortal man

I left one day, and he followed me  
Thrice we met before I journeyed to the Havens  
There a fourth time I met face to face with him  
Against my judgment, I admitted to my love and admiration for him  
I admitted my love to the young mortal man

He released me to go knowing it was something I had to do  
The third time we met, I gave a book of tales of my kin  
Never did I speak of certain tales to him as a child  
When they took away his past, they blew out the glory of Valamar and all the tales of my people  
I tried to reinstate these stories into the poor ignorant mortal man

I could see the shores of the undying lands from the bow of the ship  
From far off I saw the great city where the Valar resides  
Anxiety coursed through me as I started to regret my choice  
It is done now and I had made my choice  
I was let go by the selfless mortal man

I stepped on shore to see elves busying themselves by going hither and thither  
I saw my parents waiting for me upon a hill as I walked away from the harbor  
They had left this land during my captivity, and now I see them  
For a short time, I had forgotten my sorrows concerning my lover  
I forgot my anguish of the dying mortal man.

I wandered through Valinor as I chose, but always within proximity to my parents  
I caught the eye of many unmarried elves  
My heart still belonged to him, and I never married  
It was a good forty years before the sorrow of his memory crept in  
I sorrowed over the forgotten mortal man

The city of the Valar was full of splendor  
My kin walked all around with mournful disposition  
Rarely did I see my kin like this  
Only when great sorrow befell the eldar or the edain were they like this  
My heart sunk with the thought of my poor mortal man

I saw a friend of his waiting outside of the citadel where the Valar held council with each other  
I remembered him for he was the one that walked with a limp  
He recognized me fairly easily, and in him, I saw the memory of when I told stories to him and the others  
Thomas resurfaced back in my memory for I can never forget him  
I could never forget my dear mortal man

"Hey, you over there," he called out to me  
I looked at him for some of the longest time  
My kin watched from a distance, and small smiles of goodness decorated their faces  
I walked towards him with all politeness  
I walked towards the friend of my beloved mortal man

"What 'is it that you call me here?" I asked him  
"Deep in my heart am I glad to see you again."  
"I can say the same for you," he answered  
I smile at him when he answered  
I answered the good mortal man

"Why are you here?" he asked me  
"I was summoned here," I answered. "I guess the same as you."  
"Are they the same Valar as were in your story?" he asked me  
"The Eldar do not invent such stories."  
I entered the citadel with an inquisitive mortal man

The Valar assembled sat on their thrones  
I stood in the center conjuring as much of the strength and glory of the eldar as I could  
I tried to push the memory of him from my mind for this one moment  
Elbereth looked at me with great sorrow as though she knew my heart  
She knew of the love I have for the second born mortal man

"O child of the eldar, such woe have you faced?" she asked with a sorrowful tone  
I looked at her with awe for I had forgotten the foresight Elbereth possessed.  
"You gave your heart to a mortal man you in himself has faced many woes," she continued.  
Elbereth was right about my beloved Thomas.  
Elbereth knew about my woeful mortal man

"I thank you for your concern," I said in response to the Valar  
"I beseech you to ask why you have summoned me here?"  
The Valar sat there in silence as Newt looked at me  
Thomas entered my mind again for it is hard to lose him from my mind.  
I can not stop thinking about my aging mortal man

"He summoned the two of you to ask of the woe that edain face in the deep south."  
Manwë spoke somberly with all the Eldar watching and listening  
"Why do care about our troubles?" Newt asked.  
"We the Valar are here to keep Arda in balance," Yavanna answered  
I held my head as the angry mortal man argued.

"The Edain are different from the Eldar," I said.  
"She is right," said Manwë, "yet we wish to heal some of the hurt."  
"What is done is in the past," Newett said  
I looked at him; it is not normal for a man to act this way after something like that happened  
I looked at the never-ceasing surprising mortal man

"The hurt may be in the past," said Mandos, "yes we still wish to amend the hurt man has caused."  
"Why am I here?" I asked.  
"In due time, child of the Eldar," said Elbereth. "This decision will affect you."  
"We decided to allow the experiments to be among the Edain forever on Valinor," said Manwë.  
Great honor did the Valar give to the poor trodden mortal men and women.

I realized then the beauty of the decision  
Thomas and I could now without fear show our love  
My heart grew anxious for his arrival through death or by ship  
The Valar sent messengers to the remainder of those left telling them of their generous offer  
The Valar sent messengers to the fortunate mortal men and women left

Those who have died came out of Mandos's gloomy halls  
My kin had them assembled in the city of the Teleri  
I saw many faces of that I knew had long since past into death's fold  
My kin listened to their tales of great sorrow in their hearts  
The eldar listened to the laments of the weak of heart who were mortal men

A fortnight passed before the Valar messengers arrived  
A throng of people was with them  
I searched thru the crowd for my beloved  
I wept for he was not among them  
I yearned for my lost mortal man

A man I recognized came up to me with news about my beloved  
"He did not come, Lady of the Eldar," he said.  
"He did not yet wish to leave to come to these lands  
He wants to come in death," the messenger finished  
My heart ached for my valiant mortal man

"Has he found another to cherish?" I asked in pain  
"No," the messenger answered, "he had bid me tell thee that his heart is still yous."  
My heart rejoiced at the news, yet still longed for him  
In the lifespan of the Eldar, he would be here soon  
I will soon be with my cherished mortal man

It was a week till they left to go their home in Valinor  
Went with them, I did, yet I strayed back to my parents  
From time to time I would ride to their dwelling as would other elves  
The Valar often would include them in the celebrations of Valinor  
All other inhabitants included the non-lasting mortal humans

I walked along the shores of Valinor when I was not among the edain  
Always on my mind, he was  
A significant amount of time had passed  
Those who survived and did not come here entering from Mandos's Halls  
Soon he will come, my extinguishing mortal man

Then we will be together at the ending of his life


End file.
